The Zahra effect

For punters who like to follow an early form line, Mark Zahra made it all too clear on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival that he would be the jockey to beat throughout Australia’s biggest week of racing.

His four on the bounce Derby Day extravaganza, including the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes on Tentyris and Group 1 Howden Victoria Derby on Observer, not only thrilled favourite backers, but also signalled loud and clear that one of Australia’s most reliable top-level riders had his eye well and truly in and fixed on making the Melbourne Cup Carnival his own. 

Zahra has always been held in high esteem amongst his peers and by the racing public, but in recent years, he has become the go-to man for many top trainers and leading owners when it comes to Group 1 racing.

If you’ve got a big chance in a big race, you call Mark Zahra. As far as Group 1 racing goes, Zahra is box office gold.

His appetite for success at the top level is insatiable, and a refocussed work-life balance and approach to his trade have honed the instincts and goal orientation of a fierce competitor.

Zahra rarely rides under 56 kilograms these days unless it is to take an exceptional opportunity in a major handicap, preferring to focus on high-class horses at the head of the weights or on Australia’s major weight-for-age events. 

“A few years back, I decided to change things up a bit, to cut back on the number of rides and aim more at the big races, to be more consistent in winning them. It’s paid off,” Zahra said during the Spring Carnival.

“Life is made for living, and I love life. You’ve got to have a good balance because life as a jockey is full of ups and downs. I try to enjoy my life as much as I can.”

As well as riding Group 1 winners, enjoying life for Zahra means travel, sport, and top-end restaurants. These are the important life experiences that the 43-year-old wants to share with his wife, Elyse, daughter, Harper, and his friends.

In fact, it was on an international boys’ trip to Mexico with friends that Zahra met Elyse, a Californian with a passion for travel. 

Elyse is always trackside on major race days and is often seen in rapture with friends as she watches her husband win major races; she lets her emotions flow as strongly as her love for her hardworking husband.

“I’m so proud of him! If it weren’t for them (her girlfriends), I’d probably tackle him out there!” she told reporters in the moments after Observer’s Howden Victoria Derby triumph.

His ride on Observer, the heavily backed favourite for the Derby, was sublime. Trainer Ciaron Maher was full of praise for the ride in the moments after the race, highlighting Zahra’s self-belief to take the horse to the lead and play catch me if you can in the famous classic.

“Brilliant ride by Mark, he took luck out of it. He’s riding on the crest of a wave, and there’s no one riding better,” Maher said.

Forty minutes earlier, Zahra had been just as impressive coming from near last on Tentyris in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, landing a critical Group 1 win on the Godolphin-owned colt now destined for stud duties at the end of his career.

“I was full of confidence with Tentyris, I thought he was my best ride of the day. It’s a huge day, but I’ve got a great ability to handle pressure. It was just a fantastic day," he said. 

Zahra’s Derby Day quartet, rounded out by a Group 2 brace with victory on Getter Good Feeling in the Wakeful Stakes and Warnie in the Damien Oliver Stakes, set the scene for what would be a mammoth Cup Week. 

Despite falling short in the Lexus Melbourne Cup aboard international star Al Riffa, Zahra rode eight winners and five placings from his 23 rides to secure the hotly contested Ron Hutchinson Award for the leading jockey during the Flemington carnival, an award owned by rival James McDonald in recent years. 

As well as minor wins on emerging stars Different Gravy and Sabaaj, Zahra topped his week with a memorable hard-fought win with sprint star Giga Kick in the Champions Sprint for trainer and former jockey Clayton Douglas, landing a long overdue win on the horse which he finished a narrow second on in the 2024 Everest, a nose behind winner Bella Nippotina. 

As the Spring Carnival drew to a close, Zahra and his family looked ahead, passports in hand, to their next travel adventure. December would be a time of celebration with family and friends before descending on the Gold Coast Magic Millions meeting for another shot in the spotlight. 

Zahra’s big week

Awards: Ron Hutchinson Award (Flemington Carnival)

Key wins